


Love Equation Drabbles

by sellodi



Category: VIXX
Genre: Gen, Light-Hearted, M/M, implied ships, long time ago, love equation AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 17:29:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6619771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sellodi/pseuds/sellodi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Six people find friendship in the basement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wonshik and Sanghyuk

**Author's Note:**

> Okay I wrote this a really long time ago (leq era) and just thought I should post it instead of letting it rot in my files, so I'm going to try and put all of this up as fast as I can possibly edit it.
> 
> I was still a writing noob at this time (and I still am) so sorry for plotholes, mistakes, etc. They really were meant to be a series of drabbles that happened to take place in the same AU.

Wonshik first notices the basement after a particularly bad day. When he had stepped out of his house and headed for the bus station to meet his girlfriend, it had suddenly started to rain. 

For some reason, the sunny day had turned out to be dark and gloomy faster than he could have imagined, and this should have been a sign.

But he had a date with his girlfriend, and even if they couldn’t do any outside activities maybe just chilling with a movie and a warm drink at a cafe would have been alright. Of course, his girlfriend ends up breaking up with him.

“I’m sorry, Wonshik. You’re really nice, it’s just-- I like someone else. I don’t know if he’ll ever like me back, but I have to try, of course. I can’t lie to myself any longer.” After saying these words to him, his girlfriend--no, ex-girlfriend left him standing by the lamppost, which was already lit because of the lack of light.

He had continued to stand there for a long time, hand loosely grasping at the umbrella’s handle, with that empty feeling in his chest. It made him feel a little guilty at first-- he was supposed to feel like everything was tearing apart, like his world was ending, but surprisingly it wasn’t like any of those drama situations.

In fact, he couldn’t really explain this feeling of his, something so distant it felt like it was dangling only a few inches from his fingertips.

At the time he needed anything to try and fill that emptiness, and so he walked. A long time. He didn’t really know where he was going, but the streets were nearly empty from the downpour and the air felt comfortable, humid, cool. He only remembered to go back home when a blinking sign on one of the buildings showed the time as 12:27AM.

_‘Ah, shit, I have classes tomorrow,’_ he thought distantly as he turned to figure out his surroundings.

And so he walks towards his apartment now, ready to enter through the gate, go up the stairs, and slip into his apartment on the third floor (and probably pass out on the couch again), but a small bright light catches his eye. As he is not yet sleepy, he allows his curiosity to lead his feet to the side of the building, where a small staircase leads to a semi-open door and a lit-up room.

He feels a little peeved at first until he tries to calm himself by saying that ghosts only visit dark places, and slowly he descends down the staircase and looks inside.

There is a boy there, diligently swiping across the floor with a mop. He looks young, definitely younger than Wonshik, but even from far away Wonshik can see that the boy is tall.

The other stands up and makes a horrible expression as he pretends to massage his back, and the sight is somewhat adorable enough to make Wonshik crack a small smile. He pushes open the door a little wider.

“Hey, isn’t it a little late for cleaning?” he calls out, and the other turns with a little bit of shock in his face, but no fear is there.

“Oh. Uh… _oh, hello_!” The other smiles brightly, but still manages to keep his voice polite. He straightens himself and steadies his hands at his stomach, elbows sticking out sharp. The boy bows a right angle, back straight as ever, and the formality of it makes Wonshik bow unconsciously too.

“Hey, I’m Kim Wonshik. I live in 307. You are..?”

“Ah, Han Sanghyuk! I live on the first floor! My parents… own this building. Nice to meet you, sir!” he smiles, expression a little forced, and Wonshik narrows his eyes in confusion. 

“Alright…” he says, letting the subject drop, “what are you doing here?”

“Uh. Mopping, I guess. I’m trying to make the place a little cleaner, but I was busy this week, so I ran a little late.”

“I see…” definitely, he can see. Wonshik can see the tired expression of the boy, and he feels a little sad again knowing that there are young people breaking their backs out there while people like him just take a walk for a whole day with no purpose. And then he feels old for thinking like this, and so he drops the thought.

“Do you need some help?” Wonshik approaches the younger and automatically grabs the mop from him. Sanghyuk seems to look unsure at this, but he doesn’t try to take it back. 

“Er, are you sure?”

“Yeah, I can’t sleep right now, anyways. Cleaning will clear my head a little, I guess,” Wonshik replies as he starts focusing on the cleaning. Sanghyuk says nothing, but slowly goes to one of the little bar stools in the corner and just sits down, watching him work.

The silence is comfortable, a little too comfortable, and when Wonshik gets comfortable he begins to think, and so he mops even harder, using all his strength to push the stick across the room, trying to tire himself out.

His mood turns worse with the continuous drizzling of the rain outside, and he stops some time later, chest heaving and arms sore. His eyes are furrowed, but when he looks back at Sanghyuk the other sits there, eating a strawberry ice cream cone with both hands.

The sight makes Wonshik blink. “How did you even get that in the middle of the night?!” he asks, baffled.

“There are a lot of twenty four hour convenience stores here, you know. But actually, I kind of have been storing them in that refrigerator over there,” he points to the corner of the room, and when Wonshik looks over he indeed sees that there is a mini fridge in this small… basement… place, and it is even plugged in and seems to be working.

“You worked really hard, sir. Or, hyung, I’m not really sure… I’m eighteen. How old are you?”

Yep. Definitely young. “Twenty-one.”

“Ah, hyung! There’s chocolate ice cream in there too, if you’d like.”

He got familiar really fast. “No, that’s okay, I’m not really in the mood for ice-cream right now.”

Sanghyuk gives him a grimace, as if asking _‘How can there be a time when you don’t want ice cream?’_ but he doesn’t say it. “Well, you can sit here, hyung. You should rest, you were mopping as if your life was on the line.”

Wonshik smiles, although it feels a little bitter. Sanghyuk pats the stool next to his, one of the other five untaken ones in the room, and Wonshik heads over and slumps into the chair.

“How did you even get these…?”

“I picked them up!”

“What?!”

Sanghyuk grins sheepishly. “They were still usable, so why not? I cleaned them already, so it should be fine.”

_‘Kind of like a beggar,’_ Wonshik thinks to himself, but he lets himself relax to the sound of rustling leaves and dripping rooftops. He is almost falling asleep when a voice wakes him up again.

“Er, hyung, if you don’t mind me asking… are you okay? You seem kind of down. Unless that’s how you usually are.”

Of course the question has to come out. But, weirdly, Wonshik doesn’t really feel pain when he answers it. “Yeah, I guess… I kind of broke up with my girlfriend.”

“...Er. I’m sorry for your loss.”

The sentence is so awkward that Wonshik bursts out in a rough laugh, the first laugh of the day. “It’s not really a feeling of loss. I’m just, a little empty, I’d say. Kind of like I don’t know if this is really real. I don’t know, I can’t describe it,” he quirks his mouth, and quiets once again as he focuses on the mirrored wall, his own expression staring back at him.

“...Hm. Well, either way, it doesn’t sound too happy, I guess.”

Wonshik sighs. “It could be worse, I guess,” he says, but for some reason the words weigh him down.

“Yeah… at least it’s raining.”

Wonshik turns to the other person. “Sanghyuk-ah, I just met you like half an hour ago, but you’re a weird kid.”

“I’m not a kid,” Sanghyuk replies almost immediately. “But you know,” and then there is a light, airy tone in the air.

_“Have you ever broken up with someone on a sunny and dazzling day?_  
It’s even worse than rainy days  
Because you can’t hide even your smallest expressions.”

Wonshik turns to look at Sanghyuk who is next to him, and the other gives him a small but, somewhat cheeky, encouraging smile. “Do you know that song, hyung?”

“Heh, maybe. It sounds familiar. Just eat your ice cream, it’s melting.”

“Ah, it is! Do you want a bite, hyung? No matter what you say, ice cream always makes someone feel better.”

“No thanks. I’m not in the mood.”

“Eyyy, hyung! Just trust me, it tastes okay--”

_Splat._

There is a cold sensation on the side of Wonshik’s cheek, and he slowly looks over, eyes wide with a sort of shock.

Sanghyuk looks as if he just saw someone fall over in an over exaggerated manner, a funny looking grimace donning his features. He turns his body a little away from Wonshik’s in apology.

Needless to say, Wonshik finally gets his silence that early morning.


	2. Jaehwan

When Wonshik steps into the room on a Wednesday afternoon to pick up the hat he left behind, he is met with a person lying on the couch, reading a manga. The other has darker, close to but not yet black, hair. different from the light brown shade he is used to seeing in the basement, and locks of his hair are curled in such a way that it almost resembles an old lady’s perm. 

Anyway, the other person looks up in surprise. Wonshik stares back at him in surprise. The two remain silent for a few seconds before the other person scrambles up from the sofa, showing himself to be wearing an oversized bright red hoodie, and rushes over.

“Er, uh, hi! Nice to meet you! I didn’t think I’d see anyone come into this place!”

Wonshik smiles back on reflex at the other’s energetic greeting. “Hey, yeah, I’m just here to… pick up my hat. That one,” he points to the black cap that was thrown over the side of the sofa.

The other blinks. “OH!” he screams, and his voice makes Wonshik flinch in surprise, eyes widening. “Are you the guy that comes on Sundays? Sanghyuk told me about you! Nice to meet you! I’m Jaehwan, and you?”

“Kim Wonshik…” Wonshik trails off, eyes still a little wide.

“Wonshik… hahahah, Wonshik. Okay, Wonshik. It’s nice to meet you, Wonshik.”

Wonshik frowns a little. He doesn’t know why, but for some reason it seems like the other is making fun of his name. It seems to be a harmless giggle, however, and so he lets it pass.

“I would have come to meet you on Sundays as well, but I have something on that day. It’s cool we got to meet, though. Are you free right now? Want to hang out? I was just rereading the One Piece manga but it’s been like the fifth time--not that I don’t enjoy it, it’s just when there are more things to do--”

Wonshik nods automatically at set intervals as Jaehwan continues talking. The place never seems to quiet down because of the man’s abundant amount of words, but Wonshik is a little grateful for that. There is no awkwardness in the air, but just a feeling of comfort.

“Yeah, sure, why not?”

-

“This place is a lot less empty than the first few times I came here,” Wonshik notices as he looks around. Before, he would only really come here to sulk every Sunday night, but now that the sun was still out and company didn’t seem to allow for sulking he is able to fully examine the place. “Was the sofa even here before?”

“Nah, Hyuk brought it in two days ago. He said some tenants didn’t want it, so he took it.”

“...He really does just pick up random stuff from the streets, huh.”

Jaehwan laughs beside him. “I think he makes sure they’re somewhat clean. But why do you only come on Sundays? I come Wednesdays and Fridays, and you seem to have Wednesdays off.”

Wonshik shrugs. “I don’t know,” he says slowly. He doesn’t really want to say that he only comes because he’s still thinking about his ex-girlfriend. “I have class in the morning on Wednesdays, so afterwards I just go home and chill out. I didn’t know there would be anyone here on the other days, either, I guess.”

“Hmm… I see. That makes sense.”

“...Why do you come here?” Wonshik asks, and Jaehwan turns to him, smiling. 

“I knew you were going to ask that question, I knew it!” He turns back to face forward, smile growing smaller and more fond than happy. Wonshik looks on with a sudden curiosity. “At first it was because I was sad. But then I got more happy. And now I come because I’m happy.”

“I… don’t really understand, man.”

Jaehwan laughs. “Yeah, not much people do. What I mean is that it’s more fun to play games and read manga and just lay on the ground with other people than it is to do it alone.”

Wonshik nods in agreement. “Yeah, that’s true. Are you an only child?”

Jaehwan nods. “Yeah, but that’s not really the problem. Then I get all the doting from my parents, you know? I grew up so cute.” He puts two V-signs close to his face and puffs up his cheeks for the other to see.

Wonshik bursts out in a loud laugh. “What are you doing?!” he says, nudging the other with his elbow, and Jaehwan cackles next to him.

“So you wanted a friend and just so happened to find Sanghyuk? I found him mopping the floors at one in the morning.”

Jaehwan quiets into a small grin. “Nah, I felt lonely because I broke up with my girlfriend.”

Er. Whoops.

“Uh, sorry for bringing that up.”

“No, ‘s fine. I told you, I’m kinda over it now. No matter what people say, time really can heal everything. And I guess Hyukkie had something to do with it too. He’s so cute. He should also stop sleeping so late. He’s going to get bags underneath his eyes.”

Wonshik nods, and neither of them say anything for a while, but there is still a little bit of an uncomfortable silence in the air. Jaehwan looks comfortable, however, and so Wonshik wonders if he has already missed the timing.

“Erm,” he struggles a little, but Jaehwan turns to look at him, and the curious gaze gives him an incentive to talk. “I found this place because I broke up with my girlfriend too,” he blurts out, and the other’s eyes widen at his statement. “So that’s why I come at night on Sundays. To think, or just clear my head, I guess. The other days I have something else going on so I’m able to occupy my thoughts, but Sunday is just a free day for me.”

Jaehwan blinks at him, and then he smiles happily and pushes his body against Wonshik’s, shoving the other from his position playfully.

“Yah! I’m being sentimental here!” Wonshik whines in response, but they both break out into a chuckle afterwards.

“Thanks for sharing that with me. I’m touched. Very touched, my Wonshikkie.” Wonshik nudges Jaehwan and the two laugh a little afterwards.

“Anyways, it’s getting late. Are you sure you don’t have to go back yet? Do you have class tomorrow?” Jaehwan asks him, and for the first time that day Wonshik glances at the clock. Indeed, it is already seven, and he realizes vaguely that he might also be hungry. The sun has already set, leaving the sky a dark blue color that is slowly fading into black. He hadn’t even noticed the time pass, he thinks to himself in wonder.

“It was cool meeting you, Wonshik-ah. Maybe we’ll see each other again! BYE!” Jaehwan makes a dramatic wave at him and he laughs and waves back. Wonshik contemplates whether he should suggest getting a meal together, but then again Jaehwan is already spreading his legs out on the sofa and picking up the manga from this morning, and so Wonshik allows himself to leave, the door closing behind him quietly.

He comes back that Friday, much to his own surprise. Fridays are days when he feels extremely tired, as he has four classes instead of three, but he finds himself looking forward to heading to the basement more than he does heading to his bed, and he was one hell of a sleep lover, too.

Jaehwan is there again, this time twisting a Wii remote frantically in a game of Mario Kart as his Yoshi character drives into the grass.

“Who’s there,” he calls out desperately. “Hyukkie, is that you?”

“No, it’s Wonshik,” Wonshik replies in amusement. Jaehwan pauses the game and turns to look at him in surprise before he breaks out into a huge grin. 

 

“Wonshik-ah! What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting to see you!” He jumps up and nearly launches himself at the younger, who steps back in surprise at the sudden force, laughing.

“Yeah, I had some time,” he replies as he eyes the screen. “You’re in fifth place, hyung.”

“Shut up, I’m playing 150cc,” Jaehwan says defensively, before he drags the younger to the screen. “Here, come play with me! It’ll be fun!”

Wonshik laughs. “Sure. I don’t remember this being here, though. Or all… this.” He gestures to the XBox and the Playstation 3 at the side, already set up, and the bunch of games piled together neatly in front of them.

“Yeah,” Jaehwan nodded, “I told Hyuk about how I saw you on Wednesday, and he brought down the PS3 so we could play together, and I thought hey, why not? So I brought down these two babies.”

“Aren’t you scared someone’s going to take them?”

Jaehwan laughed. “Who, Hyukkie? No one else goes in here anyways, and you can only come in if you live in this apartment, so we can probably narrow it down pretty easily if it was taken. It’s more fun to play with someone else, after all,” he tosses Wonshik a remote control. “Ready to get slammed?”

Wonshik just smiles deviously at the other. “Nah, I think I’ve played this a little before.”

Ten o’clock approaches fast, and before they know it the sky is dark and their stomachs are growling, which is the only reason why they realize they should be going.

“Wow, time sure passed by quickly. Like I said, games are more fun when you play them with someone else, right, Wonshik-ah?” Jaehwan laughs as he puts on his coat.

“I can’t believe I played four hours of Mario Kart with you. How is that even possible?”

“Mario Kart is fun! What are you talking about. And my Yoshi kicked your ass.”

“Please, my Bowser was in the winning team.”

“Bowser is ugly.”

“Yoshi’s ugly.”

“Yoshi’s adorable!”

Their conversation continues like this as they both head out the door. Jaehwan gives Wonshik an impromptu hug before backing away from him. “Bye-bye, Wonshikkie! It was fun meeting you! See you again Wednesday?”

Wonshik is about to reply before he sucks in his breath, and then asks, “Hey, why don’t we go get something to eat together? I’m hungry, and it’s pretty late to cook anything.”

Jaehwan stares at him quietly for a few seconds and Wonshik is about to drop the subject, thinking that he may have ruined the relationship the two had established in the basement by trying to bring it out into society, but then Jaehwan breaks out into another huge grin and tackles him at his side.

“Yeah, I’m starving! Let’s go find some food cart!” Wonshik smiles and the two head off, bodies pushing against each other playfully. He recalls vaguely that this time, he is able to leave the basement without feeling a sense of emptiness and longing, but one of anticipation and happiness instead. But then Jaehwan starts talking about something else again and those thoughts are pushed even farther to the back of his mind.

From one of the apartments on the first floor, a small peek in the blinds closes itself, and two minutes later the door opens. Sanghyuk steps out quietly, almost tiptoeing, and peers back into his house, making sure that nobody saw him come out, before he heads to the basement.

He had visited a few hours ago, to be honest, but the sight of his two hyungs sitting together and laughing playfully as they tried to sabotage the other in their game made him pause. At the time he smiled and watched for a few minutes, happy that his hyungs had met, but he didn’t go in. His feet were rooted to the ground, almost like an invisible force was holding them down. For some reason the two were very happy, and Sanghyuk couldn’t find himself to join the perfectly even number. If he stepped it, it wouldn’t feel right-- he wouldn’t belong. And so he turned around and walked towards the river path instead, another place where Sanghyuk would go in order to relieve stress of just breathe. His expression wasn’t sad, it was a small smile of understanding. 

The basement no longer belonged to only him, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is so happy. *looks at Chained Up and Dynamite*. This is too happy what am I doing I am so late.


	3. Sanghyuk

When Jaehwan arrives at the basement that day, he is met with distant voices, almost like speedy, hushed whispers. When he gets closer, they become clearer. He recognizes one of the voices as Sanghyuk’s, and immediately he stills into quietness. Something is not right. He can feel it.

“No, mom, you guys weren't going to use this room anyway so I moved everything to one of the storages on the higher floors. It's fine, there's a lot of room there, and no one uses it anyways.”

“That's not what I'm talking about right now, Sanghyuk, I'm just disappointed you never told us about this--”

“I didn't want you guys to worry about it, and it's just a secret place for me to hang out sometimes, when I get stressed or something--”

“Why would we be worried if you told us? And what is all this stuff, did you--did you _steal_ it?”

“What? No, of course not! Most of the things are just some old furniture that people didn't want, and they were still in okay shape so I thought I might as well bring it in here for a better use! And the other things are from our house, things we don't use much.”

“Yes, I see that, I've always wondered why our house seems to be getting emptier these days.”

“If you want I can bring it back--”

“No, it's fine. But those game stations and games and manga don't seem so old now, do they?”

“...Mom, are you still thinking I stole them? I'm not that bad of a person--”

“I'm not saying you're a bad person, Hyuk-ah. I just want to know where you got them.”

“They're mine. The playstation was from my room, the one you bought for me a year ago. The mangas are mine too. I bought it with my own money. I have a part time job.”

“And the Xbox and Wii? I don't remember you telling us you got any of that--”

“That's my hyung's--”

“You asked someone else to give you their gaming consoles?! Do you know how embarrassing that is?!”

“No, I didn't ask him, we hang out together sometimes so he just brought them over too! We're sharing!”

“Oh, and those bookshelves? They don't look like something you'd find off the streets.”

“They were a gift!”

“A gift? From who?”

“Minah-noona from the apartment across from ours.”

“Why would she give you a gift now?”

“They were from a week ago--”

“They seem pretty expensive for just a random gift--”

“Mom, it really is just a gift, and they got new bookshelves, so she asked me--”

“Now you really have to come up with a better excuse, Hyuk-ah. Do you really want me to call this family and ask them if--”

“It's true! It was for my birthday!”

“...”

“Honest! It was a birthday gift!”

“...Baby, why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?”

“You said you had to help noona with her preparations for the summer festival, so I didn't want to bother you!”

“Why would you be a bother? We would have bought you a cake at least--”

“No, mom, I can't eat a whole cake by myself.”

“We could have eaten the rest when we got back--”

“ _No_ , mom, that's not the point. I don't want to eat a cake alone.”

“...We would have worked something out, honey--”

“Why would you? It's always been noona first.”

“Excuse me?! Honey, just because sometimes your sister has some things that--”

“That’s not what I’m saying! I’m not trying to call you out or pick a fight, I just want you to leave this place alone!”

“Are you showing me an attitude right now?!”

“I’ve never shown you an attitude before, mom, never! Not when I was little, not when you forgot me at the mall, not when I was sick but you had to drive my sister to her dance competition! Just… please. Don’t touch this place.”

There was a silence in the air for a while, something tense and heavy that made Jaehwan hold his breath.

“Please. For my belated birthday present.” Sanghyuk’s voice came out as a small whisper, pleading somewhat.

“...Alright. You can use this basement.”

The rest of the conversation happens in low voices which Jaehwan can only hear fragments from, but he swallows and presses himself to the other side of the wall. A few minutes later, a lady dressed in a business casual attire passes by swiftly, her eyes never glossing over in his direction. Unconsciously, Jaehwan lets out a small sigh. He hears the door open and close quietly, and pokes his head out to look at the basement door.

It felt weird; something big had just happened, but yet the place looked the same as it always had when he would visit. Slowly, Jaehwan walked down the stairs and towards the basement door, hand slowly curling around the doorknob.

He opens the door slowly and peeks inside. Sanghyuk is there, sitting on one of the bar stools he dragged back from who knows where, with his back slouched and facing towards the door. With this and the wall of mirrors being out of sight, Jaehwan can’t make out the kind of expression his dongsaeng is making, and his heart throbs a little as he remembers the previous conversation.

His eyes slowly flicker as thoughts run through his head. Now that he thinks about it, he would always find Sanghyuk with his face facing the wall whenever he visited, and it only occurs to him now that maybe, just maybe, all this time Sanghyuk would come here whenever he needed a place to breathe.

“...Sanghyuk?” Jaehwan calls out slowly, voice uncharacteristic of his usual loud and cheerful personality. Unlike other times, the younger stays put for a few seconds longer than usual. Suddenly, the stool swivels around, and the same innocent, bright smile is on his face.

“Hyung! Long time no see!”

Sanghyuk looks happy, like usual, as if nothing in the world was bothering him, and if Jaehwan hadn’t heard the previous conversation between the two family members, he would have assumed it was still so. But now, knowing the background to his dongsaeng’s life, he can’t help but feel that maybe, just maybe, many of Sanghyuk’s smiles were not one hundred percent pure.

But as Jaehwan is actually a pretty perceptive man, he knows that Sanghyuk is strong, and above all that smart. If he knew that Jaehwan had heard the previous conversation, he would try to cover it up--cover himself up. And Jaehwan would rather be able to read his dongsaeng than not at all. And so he smiles back with his usual wide grin.

“Hyuk-ah.”


	4. Hongbin and Hakyeon

The four of them sit across from each other at the corner table in the bar. Half empty glasses and bottles sit before them, and the music from the dance floor pounds in their heads, adding to the overall woozy atmosphere.

Hongbin slouches over, one of his hands still cradling his shot glass. His eyes are a little glossed over, despite his usual strong alcohol tolerance. 

“I know what makes a break-up better.” The chirpy voice breaks the silent consensus of sadness lingering over the entire group. Three heads turn to look over at Hakyeon, who seems to have regained a small glint in his eyes.

“Don’t say another relationship, hyung, I’m not in the mood,” Hongbin mutters, head not bothering to lift itself from the table. Hakyeon’s mouth, previously open, closes, and he sends a small angry pout at his friend before continuing with his previous thought.

“But it’s true! It’s the fastest way to forget someone! And with a face like yours--” Hongbin shoots Hakyeon a glare at this statement but his friend ignores him and continues talking. “I’m sure there would be so many girls willing to chase after you! You just have to start looking!”

“I’ve _tried_ , hyung, I can’t do it. Everyone looks like… her.” His voice is even more dead than before.

“Well, maybe we can help you instead! Why don’t you start out by telling us what you like in a girl? Make it general maybe one of us know someone that can fit your description,” Wonshik suggests, eyes darting over to Hakyeon, who nods approvingly.

“Yeah, and don’t anyone dare to hide it. Even if it’s your sister, Wonshik-ah, if she fits his type you have to tell us.”

Wonshik’s eyes darken. “Not my sister,” he states, and to his side Jaehwan laughs.

“Well, hurry up! You should at least have some idea.”

Hongbin groans before he sits up, and he downs another glass of the clear liquid, wincing a little as it burns his throat. Hakyeon stealthily pulls the glass from his hand, his eyes roaming over the other with a motherly protectiveness. ‘No more for you,’ they seem to say.

“I don’t know. Nice? Funny? Outgoing?”

Jaehwan shakes his head. “Too general, Bin-ah. Be a little more specific. At this rate we’ll have narrowed it down to everyone in the world.”

“Uhh,” Hongbin blinks rapidly three times, trying to refocus his vision. “Somewhat smart. Slim, maybe. At first I liked long hair but… now it doesn’t matter. Someone who laughs well, eats well, likes listening to Park Hyoshin with me, has fun playing in the snow and making tiny snowmen and calling them a family, treats me to dinner at a fast food place but makes it fun by--”

“Yah! You’re just talking about your ex now, aren’t you!”

“I can’t help it!” As Hakyeon and Hongbin continue to bicker, Wonshik sighs. He somewhat understands what Hongbin is going through right now. After all, he himself had faced a breakup, and has only recently been able to start forgetting little by little. With the help of…

His eyes drift to his right. Jaehwan is laughing as he tries to separate Hakyeon and Hongbin from continuously jabbing at each other. “Yah, yah, YAH. PAY ATTENTION TO ME,” he whines, a fake angry look taking over his features. The table seems a little more bright as the four of them erupt into laughter.

“But hey, maybe we do need someone that’s just like your ex,” Wonshik says as they all calm down. Hongbin looks at him like he’s crazy, but all of a sudden Hakyeon’s eyes light up. 

“Oooooh! Yeah! Maybe this will work! Binnie-yah, what was your previous girlfriend like?”

Hongbin looks devastated. “You want me to talk about her? Right now?” 

Hakyeon gives him a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry, but maybe it’ll help, you know. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

The other sighs dejectedly, hand automatically reaching for Jaehwan’s glass, as his own is held captive by his hyung. Hakyeon watches disapprovingly, but he makes no motion to stop him.

“I don’t know… we met in the library. She was in my class, and we were both there to study for the final. I guess… she was a little shy at first, spoke formally to me and was really polite. But as I got to know her more she started smiling and laughing a lot. She’s actually a bit brazen, if you know what I mean,” his lips curl into a bitter but fond smile as he recalls his memories. The other three listen intently.

“She’s kind of impulsive, does a lot of crazy things, happy like theres no trouble in her life when at times she can be really mature. And she doesn’t try but she can be really cute. She tries to put on a tough act, but it only makes her seem cuter. Sometimes she’s like a brat or a friend instead of a girlfriend, but it just makes me want to watch over her…”

As Wonshik listens in on the conversation, his hand slowly curls around his glass, and he brings it to his lips to take a sip, but the glass stays in that position. His eyebrows furrow gradually, and his mouth quirks like when he is contemplating something.

It’s very nostalgic, the description, as if he had heard of it before, but he can’t recall exactly who it’s describing. His eyes drift to the right, where Jaehwan sits, and he notices the other also looks a little baffled.

Their eyes meet, and suddenly something clicks.

_‘Don’t we both know someone who is exactly like this description?’_

“Ah!” both of them say at the same time as one face pops up in their head. Hongbin stops his soliloquy to stare quizzically at them.

“Wait, do you actually know someone like this?” Hakyeon says, expression getting a little more excited by the second.

“Er, well--” Wonshik stutters, “not really, but--”

“Don’t lie to me, Kim Wonshik, you look like you just remembered something. Didn’t I tell you that you couldn’t hide-- is it your sister, actually?”

Wonshik gets a little irritated at this statement. “It’s not! Stop dreaming!”

“Then what is it? Jaehwan-ah, you had the same reaction, tell us!”

“Er, it’s someone we both know, but…” Jaehwan trails off, looking a little thoughtful. Hakyeon and, unconsciously, Hongbin, lean in closer.

“It’s kind of not a girl?”

…

Silence.

“Arghuhghhh!!” Hongbin smacks his face into his arm that is on the table, and Hakyeon huffs and sits back in his seat. 

Jaehwan laughs at this, but Hakyeon reaches over and slices his hand on the other’s neck. “It’s not funny! I was looking forward to it too!”

“Ah~ Could it be you were trying to find a match too, Hakyeon-hyung?”

Hakyeon’s face flushes at the accusation. “You--what-I was not!”

Jaehwan’s laughter becomes more hysterical, and Hakyeon makes to grab him by a headlock, while Wonshik’s laughter fades into a rhythmic chuckle.

“But maybe you guys could come to the basement, huh,” he says fondly.

That makes the other two look up at him, and Jaehwan beams. “That’s a great idea!”

“Why would I want to go to your basement?” Hongbin asks, eyes staring at him with that ‘are-you-stupid’ look.

“That’s not it!” Jaehwan pipes up. “We both live in the same apartment, and the basement is kind of like a place to hang out. The landlord’s son has been slowly redecorating it--it’s kind of cozy. Not much people go there-- actually, only us three do. That’s where I met Wonshik, right, Wonshik-ah?” Jaehwan gives him a smile, and Wonshik finds himself smiling back.

“Yeah.”

Jaehwan laughs. “Now that I think about it, both you and I started going there after we broke up too, didn’t we? It’s like a gathering place for heartbroken people.”

“Yah! That’s like bad luck for me if you say it like that!” Hakyeon looks a little scared as he says this.

“Yah, hyung, are you scared _again_? What doesn’t scare you, really?” Hongbin laughs at this, and Hakyeon looks like he’s ready to fight. “Anyways, yeah, I guess I’ve had some time to kill lately, and it’s suffocating staying in my dorm all the time. Let us visit some time.”

Wonshik smiles. “Of course, but we’d have to ask Hyuk first--”

“He probably wouldn’t mind, to be honest. We can even go now, if you guys want.”

Wonshik looks at Jaehwan a little questioningly. “Are you sure about this, hyung?”

The older’s smile seems to twitch a little, and his eyes are hiding something, but Wonshik doesn’t comment. “Yeah. I think Hyukkie would like some new friends.”

Hakyeon and Hongbin give each other a glance. “Alright, let’s go.”

\--

The light to the basement door is already open when they get there, and Wonshik thinks with a sort of acceptance that this is how it should be. Jaehwan, on the other hand, huffs in annoyance.

“What time is it now, that that kid is still up?” his eyes softens. “I really haven’t seen him for a long time.” His speed quickens and he finds himself running to the basement, while the others continue walking behind him in a leisurely stroll. Jaehwan slowly opens the door and peeks inside, but he stills.

Sanghyuk sits in front of the open refrigerator door, with only the side of his face showing. He looks indifferent, his eyes wide and innocent as usual, but for some reason it feels… wrong. His whole body is tense. In front of him sits a black plastic bag, with ice cream cones littered in front of him. He throws cone after cone in with such force that it causes other cones that were already in the freezer to fall back out. Sanghyuk repeats this in a robotic motion, and Jaehwan feels a small chill run up his spine.

“What are you doing?” A voice appears from behind him and pushes open the door. Almost automatically, Jaehwan can see Sanghyuk’s muscles relax and the other starts lightly tossing the cones back into the freezer. No ice cream falls out this time, and he turns to them, looking like a big baby that is scavenging for food while his parents are asleep.

“Hey, hyungs! Long time no see!” his smile is bright and innocent.

Jaehwan swallows hard and smiles back. “Hyuk-ah! Yah, where have you been?!” He rushes over dramatically and tries to envelope the boy in a bone-crushing hug. Sanghyuk laughs and weakly tries to push him away.

“I really haven’t seen you in so long… what are those?” Wonshik stares at the bunch of ice cream popsicles and cones littered on the floor.

“Oh, I was stacking up! Just in case one day, you guys wanted to eat some. There’re some snacks too, over there in the corner,” Sanghyuk points in the other direction as his leg actively tries to push Jaehwan away. “Hyung, let go of me, I’m not a kid,” he whines.

Jaehwan laughs and ruffles his head before letting him go. “Anyways, we brought some friends over. I hope you don’t mind.”

Sanghyuk blinks and looks at the two peeking in from the doorway. He smiles politely and shifts his position so that he is facing them. “Nice to meet you, hyungnims. My name is Han Sanghyuk.” And then he bows that same straight-back, over-practiced, extreme right-angle bow that Wonshik had seen him do the first time that he met him.

“Hey, nice to meet you too,” Hongbin gives a little wave, but Hakyeon makes no move to react. Hongbin turns over to look at him. “Uh, hyung.”

Hakyeon screeches, and everyone, including Sanghyuk, jumps. He runs over and tackles the youngest, bringing him from a crossed-leg sitting position to laying down on the floor.

“Aurgh!” Sanghyuk yells out in surprise, voice a few octaves lower than usual. Wonshik and Jaehwan would laugh at the sound their dongsaeng just made, but they are too surprised to move.

“He’s adorable! I love him!” Hakyeon coos with the tone of an overly doting mother, and from the doorway Hongbin hangs his head. 

“Aw man, not again.”

“Get off me! I’m not adorable!” Sanghyuk pushes at the other with force.

“Aw, he’s so cute even when he’s angry! You’re going to be our baby!”

Wonshik swears he hears Sanghyuk hiss, but he’s not really sure because his attention is more focused on the man on the ground next to him. Jaehwan almost looks like he is going to piss himself from laughter, arms cradling his stomach and face scrunched up as no sound comes out of his throat. He is laughing too hard.

Then again, Wonshik himself is also breathing out in little trembles of laughter. The basement seems lively, almost like the daytime despite the fact that it is nearing midnight. Oh, right. It’s nearing midnight. Shit.

“Guys, shut up!” Hongbin comes in frantically and closes the door behind him, as if reading his mind. “It’s late right now! Gosh, hyung, get off of him! Remember what happened that one time when you hugged my cat too tightly?”

As if on cue, Hakyeon lets go quickly and smiles in apology at Sanghyuk. “Sorry about that. I’ve always wanted a little brother that wasn’t a piece of shit like Binnie is.”

Ignoring the cries of “Hey!” coming from Hongbin, Sanghyuk scoots away from the eldest in the room and scowls. “It’s fine,” he replies, but his tone sounds anything but.

Choosing to step in at this time, Wonshik speaks up. “So, why are you here so late… again? Why are you always here so late, in fact?”

Sanghyuk laughs. “It’s nothing, I was just stocking up on ice cream. My family is going on a trip for the next week, so staying in the house is even more boring than before.”

Jaehwan blinks and picks himself up as he listens. “A trip? Why aren’t you going?”

“I have two tests the week afterwards, so I have to study. I’m probably just going to lounge around though. I finally have freedom around the house,” he sports a smug grin on his face as he says this, and Hongbin finally comes closer, feeling the atmosphere less crazy than before.

“Are you sure? You don’t have to study? Don’t you want to do well?” He asks, eyes a little furrowed.

Sanghyuk scoffs. “I always do well,” he mutters, and Wonshik laughs at the cheekiness of the statement, but Jaehwan smiles as he realizes the loneliness in the tone.

Sanghyuk laughs as he lays himself on the ground for a second and looks up at the ceiling. _‘They’re perfectly even again,’_ he thinks to himself, before sitting up. “But yeah, I guess I’m a little tired. I should go rest soon.” He gets up and dusts himself off.

“Are you okay? Are you getting enough rest? Are you eating well? Is there someone looking after you at home?”

Sanghyuk smiles. “No, _mother_ , I am alone. I’m of age, so this much should be fine. I know how to take care of myself.” He huffs and crosses his arms, lips pouting unconsciously as he tries to make himself seem bigger than before.

_‘He looks adorable,’_ all four of them think.

“Why is all of your family gone, anyways?” Wonshik asks while scratching his head. Usually in his family, some of the family members would go on vacations while the other half would stay at home and watch over the house. 

“It’s my sister’s birthday,” Sanghyuk says nonchalantly, and Wonshik nods in understanding. Yeah. Sisters deserve that much. Like his little sister. She deserves more than a vacation.

Beside him, however, Jaehwan is remembering the conversation he heard between Sanghyuk and his mother a few months ago, when the latter had forgotten her own son’s birthday. Yet here they are, planning something elaborate for the daughter of the family. No matter what,

“...the magnitude is too vast,” he whispers to himself.

“Huh? What did you say, Jaehwannie?” Hakyeon asks, and Jaehwan looks at him smiling.

“I was just wondering when everyone’s birthday was! I know yours and Binnie’s, hyung, we celebrated them. How about you two?”

“Oh, mine’s in February. The 15th,” Wonshik replies, and Jaehwan nods, and turns over to Sanghyuk.

Sanghyuk shrugs. “July 5th,” he says, and Wonshik gapes at him. 

“You never told me!” he accuses. 

“Meh, it passed already. I celebrated with my family, so it’s fine. It’s not a big deal anyways.” 

‘Lies,’ Jaehwan thinks to himself, but someone else speaks up instead. 

“What?! How can a birthday not be a big deal? I would appreciate all the love and money and gifts given to me on that day!” Hakyeon states proudly.

“That’s materialistic, hyung,” Hongbin states from next to him, and the two start to bicker again.

Sanghyuk laughs. “Whatever, it’s not like I like growing up to be old like you hyungs. Anyways, I should get going now. I think I forgot to turn off the TV. See you guys~” He gives a wave like a five year old before prancing out of the basement. 

“I really wish we could’ve celebrated with him,” Wonshik says disappointedly to Jaehwan, and he can only agree.

“...So, who knows how to bake?” Hakyeon pipes up a few seconds later, and the three of them turn to look at him.

“Uh, what are you talking about?” Hongbin asks him, and Hakyeon shoots him an ‘are-you-stupid’ look.

“We have to make a cake for Hyukkie, of course. He was totally lying when he said he celebrated.”

Jaehwan’s eyes widened. “Hyung… how do you know that?” he asked, a little unsure of how his voice would come out. Hakyeon gives him a look, as if he knows Jaehwan is hiding something, and the latter fidgets in his position.

“Uh, hello? It’s so obvious! He’s speaking as if his family and himself are separate, are you guys dumb? I knew it, I was always the smart one here. Anyways, who can bake? We’re making a cake for him.”

“Can’t we buy it?” Hongbin suggests, but Hakyeon makes a small chopping motion at his neck.

“It has to come from the heart! And home is where the heart is, therefore homemade.”

Hongbin looks like he’s ready to slap his hyung. “Okay, I agree with the homemade part, but I’m sure that’s not the meaning of the quote you just said.”

“Errr!” Jaehwan quickly cuts in. “I’ve made some sweets before! How about you, Wonshik-ah?”

Wonshik twists half of his face. “I cook, but I’ve never tried baking.”

Jaehwan smiles. “Well, I think you’ll do just fine then. How about you, Bin-ah? Do you--”

“Hongbin’s not touching the kitchen,” Hakyeon states quickly, and Hongbin shoots him a glare.

“I made a _few_ mistakes--”

“You nearly hit me with a cucumber you were trying to chop--”

“I didn’t know I applied that much force--”

Hakyeon crosses his arms. “You set my microwave on fire because you tried to cook raw broccoli.”

Hongbin looks at his feet. “I won’t touch any of the machines,” he says quietly, and Hakyeon smiles in triumph. “But I’ve known you since middle school, hyung, so don’t think I don’t know any stories about you, too.”

The smile disappears from Hakyeon’s face. “I’m sorry,” he says quietly.

From the side, Jaehwan and Wonshik try to hold in their laughter.

“Alright, we can look up some recipes now and get to the baking part by sometime this week.”

“Er, I guess we can use my phone,” Hongbin says as he pulls it out, typing in his passcode. Wonshik scoots closer to the other, peering over his shoulder.

“Hyung,” Jaehwan calls out, and Hakyeon turns to look at him. “Thanks for suggesting this, even though you only met him today,” he says with a smile.

Hakyeon blinks, before he smiles back. “What are you talking about? Ever since we stepped into this place, Sanghyuk has automatically become our maknae.”

\--

“I’m so tired,” Wonshik says as he throws himself on the floor of basement. “When are we doing this again?”

“Er, I picked out some decorations if you guys want to use it,” Hongbin pipes up from his seat on one of the dining room chairs, and Wonshik turns to look at him questioningly.

“When’d you do that?”

Hongbin’s expression gets a little sour. “After you guys kicked me out the kitchen.”

“...Er. Let’s see what you bought.”

The four work diligently in putting up decorations to the basement. It looks a little half-assed and somewhat like last minute improvisation, but the sky soon grows darker and there is not much time left until Sanghyuk comes back from school.

“Ugh, I remember the times when I had to stay in school until eleven. Thank god I’m over that,” Hakyeon states, one arm covering his eyes from the light of the basement.

“You never did anything, hyung. You just played poker in the back,” Hongbin states, and Hakyeon kicks wildly in the direction where his friend’s voice is coming from. He ends up kicking Jaehwan instead, who whines and shuffles over to Wonshik’s side.

“Are you okay, though? You don’t look good,” Wonshik asks as he laughs at the two of his hyungs.

“Yeah, I think I blew too many balloons,” Hakyeon groans. “I have a bit of a headache, but it’s not that bad. I can handle it.”

“Aren’t you a dance major?”

“Shut up! You try blowing twenty balloons in one day. Argh, I want to throw up…” Hakyeon coughs a little, but then he removes his arm from his eyes and sits up, laughing.

“I’m okay though, really,” he gives a reassuring smile to Wonshik, who nods back at him.

“I’m going to go take a look outside, it’s almost ten right now. It’s so late, he should be home soon,” Jaehwan scrambles to his feet. The rest of the three lazily watch as he peeks through a small crack in the door, and suddenly Jaehwan panics and slams the light switch shut before jumping back towards them.

It’s too fast-- Wonshik feels blindly for anything when his hand comes in contact with another hand that thrusts a popper in his face, and he grips on to it tight before swallowing and waiting.

There is no sound for a few seconds, and the clock ticks loudly, but then the door creaks open and a hand reaches out to turn on the light.

“SURPRISE!”

“Mphh!” Sanghyuk makes out as his eyes widen and he stands there, frozen.

Wonshik, who had been trying to open the popper all this time, finally is able to pull with enough force, but all the confetti spills onto Hongbin, as he had not been focusing on where he was aiming.

Hongbin glares at him, eyes wide. “YAH!”

“Shit, sorry, you’re glittering!” Wonshik can only laugh at the scene, but the two drop the subject and turn around to face the very belated birthday boy, who is still stuck in the same position.

Hongbin tries to shake the confetti off of his head, and Jaehwan beams at the youngest standing at the doorway. “Happy belated birthday, Hyuk-ah. You never told us, but we wanted to celebrate with you, at least.”

Sanghyuk blinks as he walks into the room calmly. “My birthday was four months ago,” he says, but Wonshik smiles.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate it, right?”

“Yeah, technically it’s Hyukkie-appreciation day, if you want it to be that. It doesn’t really matter, all that matters is that we made you a cake and Hongbin nearly killed us so you should eat it and be happy and love us,” Hakyeon says.

“Hey!”

Sanghyuk laughs quietly as he inspects the cake, his back still facing towards them.

_‘Hapy birthday, our maknae Han Sangpoop!’_ it says.

“That’s stupid,” he says quietly. There is only one ‘P’ in the happy and the cake itself is decorated with a mixture of cool drawings, weird additions, and what looked like an accidental mix of crumbs.

“Hey, it’s the thought that counts, but we know you love it, no need to hide it.”

The youngest’s back is still facing them.

“No I don’t,” he mutters, but this time the crack in his voice is too evident to be unnoticed.

Hakyeon moves first, and he rushes over and envelopes the other in a warm hug. Sanghyuk tries to push away, but every struggle he attempts makes his hyung hold on tighter, and Hakyeon spins him around to face the others.

“Ugh, let me go,” he whines, a tear slipping out from his eyes that he wipes off rather violently.

Jaehwan moves next, tackling the other side of the manae in a warm embrace. “Ohhh, our Hyukkie!!”

Sanghyuk laughs but the tears keep falling, and he keeps swiping at his eyes as his head slowly lowers. Wonshik goes over this time and pats his head as all three lead him to the stool to sit.

Hongbin stands a little awkwardly at the side, not thinking himself close enough with the other to approach the group, but at this time Hakyeon looks up and shoots him a glare.

_‘Get your ass over here,’_ he mouths, and swallowing, Hongbin digs out a tissue from his pocket and walks over, pressing the cloth to Sanghyuk’s face. The other sniffles and bites his lips as he takes it, eyes still on the ground. No sound comes out other than the few occasional sniffles, but the other four stay quiet as well.

Hands still wrapped around the other, Jaehwan wonders how long it has been since Sanghyuk has last cried, and he is filled with such a sudden sense of pride for his dongsaeng and how strong he has been that he hugs the other tighter, a smile blooming on his face.

They stay like that for a long time.


	5. Taekwoon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *watches Vixx now*
> 
> *Jung Leo*
> 
> HAHAHHAAH THIS IS SO OLD.

The next time they see him, Sanghyuk is sweeping the floors again, but this time his face is seen clearly as opposed to before, where he would always be facing the other side of the wall.

The younger looks even younger than he did before, if that is even possible. His lips are puckered as he exhales repeatedly, trying to get a tune out out his lips. His eyes narrow a little when nothing happens, but overall he seems just… happy.

When they call out to him, he looks up.

“Ah, hyungs!” he says, smiling, and both Jaehwan and Wonshik freeze, because they don’t think they have ever seen such a bright smile on the younger boy before.

Hakyeon runs over and throws a shoulder over Sanghyuk, who laughs and tries to pull away automatically, while Hongbin passes by after giving the two of them a questioning look, but Jaehwan and Wonshik only shoot each other a smile before they walk in as well.

If they thought that Sanghyuk had always smiled brightly, now it seems like he is glowing with positivity.

“You really do seem like you’re glowing though. What are you so happy about?” Hongbin asks as he inspects the younger, and Sanghyuk shoots him a teeth-showing grin.

“My hyung is coming back soon,” he says.

Hakyeon blinks. “You have a brother?” he asks, eyes shining with curiosity, but Sanghyuk shakes his head.

“Not really--I mean, he’s kind of like a brother to me. My parents and his parents are friends, so we’ve known each other since we were little. He treated me like a kid,” as he says this he clicks his tongue a little, but his smile quickly turns fond again. “But he was always really nice to me. I think he’s your age, Hakyeon-hyung.”

Jaehwan gasps from the side. “Wow.”

Hakyeon shoots him a glare and the other cowers playfully behind Wonshik. “A comrade! Finally, someone that isn’t as immature as you people. Will we get to meet him?”

Sanghyuk nods, eyes closing and head bobbing up and down exaggeratedly.

“You’re cute, Hyuk-ah,” Hakyeon states, and the maknae stops the motion.

They stay for a while, like they usually do. Hongbin ends up leaving first, saying he has to finish a project for a class, and the three wave goodbye to him as Hakyeon whines about going home alone.

“Stop whining, hyung,” Hongbin had said exasperatedly. “If anything, you’re just scared about going home in the dark, so why don’t you just leave a little earlier?”

Hakyeon glared at his dongsaeng. “Excuse me! I am not scared of the dark.”

“Yeah whatever okay, bye guys!” the other dismissed with one last wave of his hand, leaving the eldest to bark after him with three people either trying to calm him down, or laughing at the conversation.

And so here he is now, in the middle of the night, gripping onto his bag tightly as he tries to hurry home. Hakyeon swallows as he walks faster and faster. He can feel his legs start to cramp at the speed, but he refuses to slow down, and keeps his eyes to the ground. Now now, it’s alright, he’s just hearing things, there’s no swing swinging in the distance, the sound is only the rustle of the leaves, and the padding of feet is only his imagination--

_Clang!_

OH MY GOD HE IS GOING TO DIE SAVE HIM SOMEONE--

Hakyeon is near trembling when he hears panting in the distance, and the sound of human breathing calms him down tremendously. Without the previous fright that had kept him focused on getting home, Hakyeon lets his curiosity get the better of him, and he follows one of the pathways leading to the entrance of a nearby park.

Slowly, he approaches an open, fenced field, somewhat small but still spacious enough to hold a few people. It is a small courtyard, and peering in Hakyeon notices a boy running around as he dribbles a basketball and takes shots repeatedly, each one falling into the basket flawlessly.

 _‘What kind of person plays by himself in the middle of the night?’_ Hakyeon thinks to himself, feeling a little bit of pity for the other person, but as he keeps watching his breathing slows and his eyes concentrate on the person before him.

Sure, it looks as if the other may be a little irritated and trying to run it off, but he looks anything but pitiful. In fact, his well-calculated movements are illuminated by one bright streetlight off to the side, and highlights the tone of his build in a way that makes it look almost like a scene from the television.

 _‘It’s like a dance,’_ Hakyeon realizes to himself dimly, and suddenly the dance major is mesmerized as he continues watching, mouth slightly opening as he tilts his head to get a better view.

The other person seems a little more distracted as time passes, and a few minutes later the ball misses the hoop and bounces back to the ground, slowly stopping in front of the man’s feet. The person bends down slowly to pick it up, and Hakyeon brings himself back to reality.

‘Maybe I should go before he finds out I’ve been watching him,’ he thinks to himself, realizing how creepy that sounds even _in_ his head, but before he can take a step a basketball comes flying in his direction, hitting the fence right in front of his face with a loud clang.

And loud noises at night were never a good combination for Hakyeon.

“AHHHHH! UWAAAHHHHH! ARRGHHHHH AHHHHHH!!!!!” he screeches as he jumps back, entire body trembling.

From the courtyard, the person who had thrown the basketball looks back at him, shocked, but Hakyeon is too busy running away and into the nearest human populated place, which happens to be a nearby convenience store, all the while screeching like a banshee.

Ignoring the panicked stare of the cashier and the questioning gazes of a few school girls who seem to be getting a meal after cram school, Hakyeon cowers in the corner as his fingers dial the first number he can think of, his whole body trembling with such strength that his fingers slip on the dial a few times.

“Sir, are--are you okay?” the cashier calls out to him, but he focuses on the monotone ringing of the phone until the line connects.

“What do you--” Hakyeon cuts Hongbin off and wails into the phone.

“UWAAAHHHH SAVE MEEEEE!!!!!”

Fifteen minutes later the door bursts open and Hongbin scans the store almost crazily. He is clad in only a tank top and sweatpants, and his hair is still damp and somewhat wild. He is totally out of breath, but he spots his hyung sitting in a chair in the corner, face buried in his hands, and he rushes over.

“Oh my god hyung what happened I’m so sorry it’s okay--” he says worriedly, bending his body to try and get a better view of his hyung.

“Bin-ah….” Hakyeon moans, and Hongbin blinks, waiting for a response.

“I WAS SO SCARED” the elder wails as he breaks down again. “I WAS IN THE PARK AND THIS PERSON THREW A BASKETBALL IN MY DIRECTION AND IT WAS SO SUDDEN I WAS SO SCARED--”

“Wait, hold up,” Hongbin interrupts. “You called me over here because you were traumatized by a basketball?”

“I WAS SO SCARED--”

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF SHOWERING!”

As if on cue, suddenly small giggles become apparent, and Hongbin turns around two see two high school girls blatantly checking him out, and he flushes a bright red.

“Hyung, give me your shirt,” he hisses, and almost rips the sweater off the other, while Hakyeon is still calming himself down.

Shoving the sweater onto himself, Hongbin crouches to the ground and buries his face in his hands. “I’m going to kill myself… no, I’m going to kill you, hyung, and then kill myself, ugh…”

Hakyeon continues hiccuping.

“Oh my god, shut _up_ , hyung!” Hongbin says as he quickly stands and heads to the refrigerated aisle. He grabs a bottle of banana milk and quickly thrusts a bill at the cashier before breaking open the seal and throwing the drink at his hyung.

“Why do I still deal with you?”

Hakyeon takes the drink and takes a few long sips, breathing slowly steadying.

“Can I leave now?” Hongbin asks, obviously irritated, but Hakyeon shakes his head.

“No, first I’m going to finish this drink. And then we will go together.”

Hongbin groans. “Hurry up,” he mutters before taking a seat next to Hakyeon, and the other gives him a small smile of gratitude. “I can’t believe you got scared by some basketball player.... who plays basketball in the middle of the night, even?”

“I know right?” Hakyeon sniffs. “It was pretty though.” Seeing the look Hongbin was giving him, Hakyeon clears his throat. “His form, I mean. He was really good at basketball, it was almost like he was dancing.”

At this statement Hongbin manages a small smile. “You dance freak,” he replies as his eyes scan the store. The two girls are still sneaking peeks at him, and the cashier looks at him with jealousy at the scene, and he swallows and turns around again. “Can’t you drink and walk at the same time?”

Hakyeon gasps, obviously feeling well enough to be himself again. “Bin-ah, what if I get another scare and this straw gets stuck in my throat? I would die! You wouldn’t want that now, would you?”

Hongbin doesn’t say anything, but Hakyeon doesn’t prompt him to. He’s somewhat sure that if the younger does respond, it probably wouldn’t be with anything nice. But then again, that’s just how they were. Focusing on his drink again, Hakyeon turns back to watch the nightlife outside the store.

The two sit quietly for a few more minutes.

Hakyeon doesn't return to the park for the one whole week. 

In fact, he avoids staying out late at night unless Hongbin or someone else is with him, but with Hongbin's first project nearing its due date, his friend has been getting more and more stressed, immediately heading back to the dorms or wherever he has to go every day after classes. As Hakyeon likes to enjoy his sleeping time, most of his classes take place in the afternoon and end around six or seven, when the sky is already dark because it is the middle of winter. Being something similar to an extrovert, that time limit leaves him almost no time to breathe. That, coupled with the fact that he actually really misses his friends and just hanging out in the basement after a long day and being able to lay on the floor and laugh with everyone else, makes him decide to visit the others one Friday night. The walk there is not bad, because Wonshik is nice enough to wait for him in the university library, and Hakyeon finds his dongsaeng snoring away in the far corner of the building, where the librarians rarely walk all the way towards. There is not much people there because it is only the start of the semester, so Hakyeon supposes they don't mind the noise as much. He's pretty thankful for this--it's actually how he was able to find the other, seeing as Wonshik was not answering his texts or calls.

He contemplates kicking the other in order to wake him up as revenge for not answering his calls, but when he finds Wonshik slouched over on the ground, leaning on the stress relief bookshelf, Hakyeon can't help but laugh at the appropriate setting, taking out his phone to snap a picture before he shakes the other awake.

Or rather, tries to shake the other awake. Wonshik turns out to be a deep, deep sleeper, and in the end Hakyeon resorts to his original plan of kicking the man in the shin to illicit a reaction.

The other groans as his eyes flutter open, and after a sour conversation filled with half-incomprehensible grumbles that would be shut down with "Please, you should be thanking me"s, the two are able to make their way to the basement, where Jaehwan is playing a game involving capturing monkeys and Sanghyuk watches on in amusement.

They stay until Wonshik, lying on the sofa, drops his phone on his face, and the four of them decide that yes, maybe they should sleep, because Jaehwan has an internship the next day and Hakyeon still has to start on his new choreography due on Monday.

Now leaving is not as easy as getting here, because all three of the others live in this apartment and Hongbin has been ignoring all attempts at human contact ever since Hakyeon received a text from him that morning about his contaminated films. Wonshik says he can walk his hyung to the university at least, but his eyes are already drooping as he says it and Hakyeon shakes his head with a smile that he hopes seems confident.

"I'm fine, Wonshik-ah, you just go home and pass out on the couch or something. Why does it feel like you only get one hour of sleep every night?"

"I get about three, actually," he replies, and Hakyeon gasps at him before shoving him in the direction of the staircase. "Go sleep! You've been snoring like a fifty year old grandpa."

Wonshik pouts, muttering something that sounds vaguely like an insult and a whine mixed together, but his words are slurred and he heads to the floor of his room without any complaints.

With a deep breath, Hakyeon forces a smile on his face and turns around, starting to head home. It's hard to get his feet to move, but he can see from the corner of his eye that there is a small crack in the blinds, and Sanghyuk is probably watching his hyung to see if he is okay, and so he wills himself to walk at least far enough that the apartment is out of sight, before freezing in place and nearly ripping his phone out of his pocket. 

Desperately, he tries dialing Hongbin's number, because the other is the only one he has known long enough to truly confide in about his fears, but he connects with the operator and nearly swears at his phone before he remembers hearing from somewhere the story about ghosts who search for human voices during the night. Or was it singing? Whatever it is, he isn't taking a chance.

He tries focusing on the movement of his feet, but looking straight down is throwing off his sense of balance, and his neck hurts and he keeps crossing one leg over the other by accident. He only focuses his vision when the pathway changes from marble to patted dirt, the texture of an all too familiar place.

Slowly, he looks up to finds himself surrounded by trees and bushes and metal benches, and with a gradual sinking feeling in his stomach he realizes that he must have followed the wrong path.

'Huh, I must have not visited for a long time,' he thinks to himself, before shaking his head and cursing his horrible directional skills. Why does this always have to happen to him at the worst times?!

Hakyeon remembers the day that he had to catch a subway to a trip by himself because he had ended up sleeping in late, and ended up getting on the wrong train for three stops before Hongbin (thank god the younger man was with him) finally decided to check the map.

He wants to just turn around and head back the way he came from, but Hakyeon knows that doing so would only make the journey a lot longer, because cutting through the park was actually a much shorter distance than walking the few extra streets to get to the big road (his feet still remember from the last visit) and plus, if he did turn back there was a chance he could get lost. No matter how small the place was, for Hakyeon there was always a chance of getting lost.

Vaguely the man remembers that he has his earphones on him today, and although having no knowledge of the outside noises is a dangerous thing, especially since it is the middle of the night, Hakyeon reasons that he sees no human around the place anyways, and quickly plugs the buds into his ear. Music starts to flow into him and suddenly the night, with all the dim streetlights and blowing trees, doesn't seems so scary anymore.

He walks with a strolling stride, almost like he is in a music video, his eyes even daring to look up at the sky sometimes, admiring the little bright lights that seem to glimmer. Especially because the lighting is bad, it is almost as if Hakyeon can see the stars clearer, despite being in a city, and he allows a small content smile to bloom on his face. He takes a deep breath, feeling the cold air seep into him like a wake up call. Maybe traveling at night wasn't so bad after all-- he just had to get past his very active imagination.

A hand grabs him by the wrist and pulls with such a force that he spins around. There is a face hovering over him, and his earbuds are ripped out of his ears due to the person's hand tangling themselves with the wire.

Hakyeon screams once, loudly, for as long as his breath can manage. The hand is still holding onto him and so he cannot get away, but the elder is already crouching to the ground as his shriek melts away into a wail, and then sobs as tears threaten to spill from his eyes.

"I'M SORRY PLEASE DON'T KILL MEEEEEEeeeee---" he cries, and continues to cry. There is no other movement for a while, but then a hand awkwardly pats his back, and the comforting gesture slowly calms his heartbeat.

A few minutes later, he gets the courage to lift his face from his hands, tears staining his cheekbones and snot clogging his nose. 

'Ah, the person from that time,' he remembers with a little bit of dread. He still had not forgotten the figure of the other from that day, slightly damp from sweat, the broad shoulders and tall build that seemed to enhance his skills on the court. The other's eyes are staring at him, not wavering but steady, and the softness of his gaze makes Hakyeon feel a little embarrassed. Still, he allows his frustration to get the better of him.

"Uuuuuuu, why did you just grab me like that, so frustrating! I was so scared! Uwahhhh~" he whines, his voice disappearing into the cold night air.

The other continues staring at him for a while, before he finally speaks.

"I'm sorry," he says, and his voice is soothing, but so low that Hakyeon has to quiet his sniffles in order to hear more of it. "I didn't know..." He trails off again, and bites his lip nervously. "I didn't know you were there."

"Huh?" Hakyeon says automatically, and the other looks frustrated. He glares at him for a second before averting his eyes again. He does not speak anymore.

But it was true-- at the time he had only wanted to continue moving, no matter how much his lungs burned, or how tired his legs were. He had broken up with his girlfriend two days before he had returned, and the other sent him no messages aside from the last one, a short text with the words 'I'm sorry,' engraved into his phone, in formal language.

He checked his phone continuously, and the frustration continued to eat at him. The ball felt heavy in his hand. With each dribble he remembered the contours of her skin, the creases on her palm, and the shots kept missing the basket.

He had held it in for the whole week he had been home, and his dongsaeng had made it much easier to forget her, but right now he was alone, during one of the few peaceful times in his life, and he had felt that it was only right that he be allowed to vent, if not to others than definitely to himself. And so, picking up the ball, he hurled it with a great force towards the fence, feeling the pulsing sensation through his arm. He only saw the man standing outside after the ball left his hand.

The other had reacted with such great fear that it had eaten at him until now, and even as he looks at the person crouching on the ground, eyes wide and pleading, almost, he cannot help but feel just a little more guilty for grabbing the guy so suddenly.

Hakyeon, still waiting for the other to continue talking, remains quiet, but there is no more from the other, and the two end up looking at each other for what seems to be a long time. Finally, feeling calm enough, Hakyeon chooses to end the silence. 

"Erm, it's fine," he tries to smile, but it's a little shaky. He sees the other visibly relax at the forgiveness, and then the smile comes for real. This person must have been worried about him, and the thought makes Hakyeon feel happy. "But why were you playing basketball in the middle of the night?"

The other tenses again. Whoops. Maybe he crossed the line too early. "Are you possibly... A student here, too?"

The other shakes his head, still not speaking. The quietness is starting to get a little awkward, but it is not uncomfortable yet. 

"I-I see. Well, it was nice... meeting you?" Hakyeon falters a little. He is unsure why, but the overly calm and observing presence is making him somewhat nervous. He stands up quickly, feeling the rush of blood flooding to his head, and stumbles in his steps. "Erm. Bye."

He wants to get out of there as fast as possible, and during his stride he accidentally kicks a pebble, which in turn knocks into a nearby trash can, a loud clang ringing out at the contact. He screams once, jumping backwards from the shock, before scurrying forward again. 

When he looks back, however, the other person is still following him at a safe distance away, and Hakyeon tilts his head before he turns back around and continues walking. It's not much, but the other's presence helps him to relax, to feel a little safer than usual. Or maybe not, because every time Hakyeon turns around the other seems to be staring at him with enough intensity that it shoots shivers up his spine. But the other makes no move to catch up to him, and Hakyeon creeps into a nearby convenience store (a different one from last time, he has sworn to himself that he would never visit that store again). He only has enough courage to confront the other after they both enter into the sanctum that is made of bright lights and inhabited with someone else.

In his hand, the phone rings constantly, Hongbin still not answering. At this time Hakyeon assumes the other has already fallen asleep, seeing as how the last time he has seen him, his dongsaeng looked as if some sort of torture had kept him at his desk for days straight.

Swallowing, Hakyeon approaches the man at the corner, surveying the drinks section of the refrigerated aisle.

He turns around quickly before Hakyeon's hand manages to touch his shoulder, flinching at the attempt at human contact. His eyes are wide and questioning, a little hostile, and Hakyeon swallows in fright before he manages a small smile.

"Erm, hello," he says, almost unsure of himself. "Why are you following me?"

The other man continues staring at him, although by now he has calmed down considerably. The weight of his stare makes Hakyeon shift.

"The same way," he replies, when Hakyeon makes no effort to leave his side, and the elder clasps his hands together in understanding. Maybe this person is also like him!

And since Hakyeon is an extrovert, similarity means friendship. "Are you scared to walk in the dark, perhaps?" He asks with an exaggerated sort of happiness, but if anyone knew Hakyeon at all they would know he was being very sincere. The other man stares at him with a look of disbelief, but by this time Hakyeon is too excited to notice. "Wow, we can walk home together! That's more fun than going along trailing along behind me! I'm Cha Hakyeon, what's your name? It's nice to meet you, friend!"

The other refuses to reply, even when he nudges him with a small whine, and Hakyeon ends up walking out, feeling dejected. Luckily, the other follows him, still not to his side, but closer nonetheless.

When he finally reaches his building he turns back around, and true enough the other man is still there. The air is breezy and a little chilly, but not the biting silence that he had experienced before. Hakyeon likes to think it was because he was able to talk the someone on the way home that are it so much more bearable, even if it was mostly a one-sided conversation with a few one word answers from the other stuck in between here and there.

Turning around, he smiles and points at the building. "This is my stop! I never got your name, friendly stranger! Thanks for walking with me here, it was so much more fun than going home alone!"

The other looks at him with something akin to pity, before he sighs. "You should go in."

Hakyeon blinks. "Well, yes, but I was going to see you off first-- do you live nearby?"

He shakes his head, but then nods. "I live nearby. Go in." Hakyeon frowns and is about to protest, but the look on his newly made friend's face makes him turn around obediently. He looks back occasionally every few steps to see if the person is still there, and he is. When he finally reaches the inside of the building, he waves as the other person nods, and disappears to the elevator with a smile. It is only when he is already twisting the key into his door that he remembers.

"Ah. Name."

Down below, the other person watches as his new acquaintance enters the building, before he lets out a small smile and turns around, heading back in the direction he came from.


	6. VIXX

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cracks up* This is so long ago wow, when Hyukkie was still the sweetest maknae ever and Leo was the most quiet idol I've ever met wow look at them now they've come such a long way and I laugh at myself and this fic. It's so long ago wowwowowow.

"You look happier these days, hyung," Sanghyuk's face pops up from the corner of his eye, and Taekwoon turns around, blinking.

"Did something good happen?"

Taekwoon pats the other on the head twice, a greeting he has been using with his dongsaeng ever since they were young. Sanghyuk scowls at the motion, but the expression is cute enough to bring out a small smile from Taekwoon, and Sanghyuk smiles back at the expression. Taekwoon nods. "I apologized," he says, and Sanghyuk tilts his head, waiting for an explanation, but Taekwoon only refocuses on his phone.

"Erm, well then. That's good. I'm assuming you were forgiven," Sanghyuk chirps, and he earns himself another small nod. Smiling, he takes a seat on the couch next to his hyung and starts browsing the television channels, his eyes glancing up at the clock. His hyungs won't be here until half an hour later, but he supposes he can go to the basement a little earlier and warm up the Xbox. These days, the five of them have been rotating the usage of each machine so as to promote fairness, in Jaehwan's words. Sanghyuk smiles to himself at the stupidity of the statement.

"You look happier too," a small voice interrupts his thoughts, and he turns around to see Taekwoon looking at him. One of his ears is plugged, but the other one, the ear closer to Sanghyuk, is free, signaling that his hyung is listening.

Sanghyuk hums, and then nods. "Yeah, I think I am," he says with a smile. "I met some hyungs, and they're really cool. You should meet them sometime. We usually hang out at the basement over there," Sanghyuk lifts his arm to signal at the general vicinity where the door is, but he knows that his hyung knows where he is referring to. And then he frowns. "But you never want to follow me."

"I'm not a people person," comes the reply, and Sanghyuk nods automatically.

"Yeah, I know." Taekwoon blinks at him before his hand reaches for the earbud that is dangling in the air, and Sanghyuk knows that the conversation is over. And since he won't be getting any attention for another hour or two, he might as well make a move now before he becomes too lazy to, he thinks as he shuffles off the couch. "Hyung, I'm going to visit the basement now. I'll be a little late, so if you guys eat dinner you should eat without me," he says. He knows Taekwoon will probably eat without him if he wants to. Food is a big thing in his hyung's life, after all.

Taekwoon nods at him, and Sanghyuk smiles before he starts for the door. As he puts on his shoes, he hears one last statement from the other.

"Don't be too late."

It's not much, but it's also something Sanghyuk is not used to hearing, and so he breaks out into a huge grin as he leaves the apartment.

Time ticks and passes, and the rest of the night goes uneventfully for Taekwoon. He does end up eating dinner without Sanghyuk, as the rest of the family has come home. Plus, he's hungry. Sanghyuk's sister tries to make small talk with him, which he answers in small nods and glances, effectively cutting off the conversation to only the three of them, and spends the rest of the time in his and Sanghyuk's shared room.

Still the clock ticks, and after it turns to twelve and the younger is nowhere to be seen he finally looks up from what he is doing and checks his phone worriedly. There are no new messages. He sighs.

It's Friday night, so it shouldn't be a big deal, and Sanghyuk did say he was going to be late, but really, _what can you even do for so long in the basement?_ Getting up from his seat, Taekwoon heads out to look for Sanghyuk's parents. He finds them in their bedroom, and knocks politely on the door. His uncle is at the study, and doesn't bother looking up from his work, while his aunt, laying in the bed, lifts her head from the book she is reading.

"Oh, Taekwoon-ah, what's up?" She asks, returning her eyes to the pages.

"Excuse me, but Sanghyuk isn't back yet. Should I go get him, or is it alright..." He drifts off, unsure of how to finish the sentence, but his aunt seems unbothered by the fact that her son is not yet in the house. 

"Oh, is he out right now?" She replies distractedly, her eyes moving left to right quickly as she soaks in the novel.

There is no more response from her, and his uncle seems not to have heard, and so Taekwoon stares at them for a few more seconds, his eyes growing hard, before he turns around and heads to the doorway to put on his shoes. He is pulling his coat over his shoulders when a voice rings from behind him.

"I think he's safe, but if you do bring him back, tell him there are some leftovers in the refrigerator. Should I heat them up?"

He turns around to see Sanghyuk's sister leaning on the wall, arms crossed tightly around her chest, clad in her pajamas. At least one other person cares. Taekwoon smiles slightly. "It's fine, thanks," he says before he turns back around and exits the house, missing the blush that spreads on the other's face as she quickly scurries to her room.

The walk to the basement is short, less than one hundred paces, but it is still very cold at night. Taekwoon shivers and wonders if he should have brought an extra jacket for Sanghyuk, as he remembers the other had left without one, but he has already reached the basement before he can decide to turn back around.

The light is still on and the door is slightly open, which Taekwoon thinks is somewhat dangerous, but he soothes himself with the remembrance of the gate at the front, and peeks through the doorway a little.

There are a bunch of people in there, but their backs to the door, and Taekwoon cannot see their faces. He does, however, make out his dongsaeng at the edge of the group, laughing and pointing at something to the screen. As if on cue, Sanghyuk turns his head and glances at the door, and his eyes widen for a second before he breaks out into a grin and scrambles to get up.

"Hyung!" He exclaims, and Taekwoon steps back a few steps to allow the other to pass through the door. When he comes out, Taekwoon can hear that it is much quieter inside than before, but his observation is pushed to the side as Sanghyuk speaks.

"Wow, hyung, what are you doing here? Did you finally come to check out the basement? Pretty cool, huh? I decorated it from scratch!"

Taekwoon hadn't gotten a really good view of the place, but he nods automatically at the enthusiasm in Sanghyuk's voice. And then he remembers the reason why he is here, and shakes his head instead.

"It's late, Sanghyuk-ah. Did you eat yet?"

Sanghyuk blinks three times, before he makes a face. "Erm, I think so." Does junk food count as a meal? He doesn't know if Taekwoon will accept that as an answer.

Taekwoon looks at him with a judging gaze, before he sighs again. "It's fine then. Come home soon. It's late out."

Sanghyuk blinks again. "You came here just to tell me that? I'm still at the apartment, hyung! You don't have to worry so much-- I'm not a kid," he laughs at the absurdity of the situation. This has never happened before, someone wondering where he is late at night, and only the cold of the air keeps his eyes dry. Sanghyuk swallows.

Across from him, Taekwoon flushes a shade of pink in frustration. "I was worried," he mutters, before taking a step back. "If you're safe it's fine. I'm leaving."

'Ah, he's sulking, how cute,' Sanghyuk thinks to himself with a smile before he remembers something and quickly pulls his hyung back. Taekwoon looks at him questioningly. "Wait, hyung! Since you're here and all, let me introduce you to my friends! They've wanted to meet you for a while-- you just never wanted to come. They're nice, I promise."

Taekwoon seems a little uncertain. Still, he replies. "I know," because if they were Sanghyuk's friends, then surely they were people that could be trusted... Or maybe not, as Taekwoon remembers the wasabi pea incident, and the blood water incident the younger had played on him the last two April Fools they had spent together.

But Sanghyuk's eyes are wide and pleading, and he is smiling hopefully at Taekwoon like a little kitten, and Taekwoon can never resist cute kittens, so he nods begrudgingly and allows a smile to grace his lips at the lighting up of his dongsaeng's face.

Sanghyuk pulls him quickly into the basement, and Taekwoon, who had slowly been adjusting to the cold, regains his goosebumps at the sudden change in temperature.

"Hyungs!" Sanghyuk says excitedly, "this is my hyung that I told you guys about. He's back for a month for winter break!"

Taekwoon shifts at the sudden attention, but he focuses on looking around the room, inspecting the place and ignoring Sanghyuk's attempts to get him to introduce himself, but then a small "Oh!" that sounds grabs his attention.

The high, breathy voice is definitely one he remembers hearing, and he looks over to see the same person he had met in the park those two times, and his eyes widen slightly at the recognition.

Hakyeon's expression quickly shifts from surprise to extreme happiness, and his mouth is in an open smile and his eyes are glittering almost.

Another person that Taekwoon doesn't know the name of looks at Hakyeon questioningly. "Do you know him, hyung?"

But Hakyeon chooses to ignore the other and instead rushes over to Taekwoon. "Wow, I can't believe I'm meeting you again! I didn't know you knew Hyukkie at all, and thank you for last time! Oh my gosh, now that I think about it, you must've had to walk so far, I even thought you were going the same direction as me, but you did say it, right-- Ah! I never even got to ask you for your name! Oh, you don't even remember me do you, I'm--"

"Hakyeon," Taekwoon interrupts, and Hakyeon stops abruptly at the calling of his name, looking like a puppy. "I know." Slowly, a small smile spreads across his face, and Taekwoon himself smiles at the other's expression. "Jung Taekwoon," he says, and the other seems to be radiating with happiness now.

"Wait," a voice makes him look at the person who just spoke. He is handsome, that is the first thought that crosses Taekwoon's mind, but the other is looking at Hakyeon instead, and his face seems to be full of disbelief. "Hyung, is that the person with the basketball?"

Hakyeon chokes a little in his spot, confirming the question, and suddenly the person clasps a hand to the back of his neck and crumbles to the ground.

"Bin-ah!" another person screeches dramatically as he rushes to his side. The person he stands next to continues standing there, looking a little lost, before he just turns around to look at Taekwoon and gives him a small smile.

"Uh, hi," he says, almost unsure. "I'm Wonshik, and that's Jaehwan. The person on the floor is Hongbin... I don't know what's going on right now."

Hakyeon scrambles to try and pull Hongbin off the floor as Jaehwan seems to pause for a second, before he exclaims, "WAIT! YOU'RE THE ONE THAT--" and then he cracks up right then and there. Taekwoon looks at him crazily, before frowning. It is very loud, and this person is the one causing most of the noise, and so he kicks him in the shin instinctively.

Gaping, Jaehwan stops laughing and turns to look at Wonshik. "He just kicked me! He's violentttttt!" He whines as Wonshik chooses to start laughing now. Taekwoon wants to get out of here as fast as possible, but Sanghyuk perks up at this moment.

"Sorry, hyung, they're kind of always this loud, but I think you get used to it. I did, at least," he says, and Taekwoon stops trying to leave because he sees the happiness in Sanghyuk's eyes and smile. Sighing, he heads to the bar stools in the corner of the room and plops down in one of them, choosing the focus on unravelling his earbuds and shut out the noise. It isn't long, however, before someone else plops down next to him, even before he can unlock his phone, and peers over his shoulder.

"What are you doing? What music are you listening to?" Hakyeon asks as he scooches closer with his own barstool scraping the floor. Taekwoon flinches and watches him with furrowed eyebrows, but he doesn't move away. And then Jaehwan comes over next and hovers over him. 

"What're you doing, hyung?" He asks, and this time Taekwoon does move, one hand shooting out to push Jaehwan away from him. 

"Go away, you're loud," he says quietly before refocusing on his phone, and Jaehwan turns dejectedly to Wonshik, who is sitting on the barstool next to Hakyeon. 

"Why does he only hate _me_?" He asks in disbelief as he plops himself in the barstool next to Wonshik's, the four of them slowly forming a line. Hongbin comes over and sits as well, and Sanghyuk, watching the scene, shuffles over too. The six of them sit together, each occupied with their own thing. Hakyeon tries to make conversation with Taekwoon, who seems to ignore him but has one ear free, and Jaehwan, Wonshik, and Hongbin themselves are engaging in a conversation. Sanghyuk watches with a smile. He has just realized, but for once all the bar stools have been taken up, and...

"We're perfectly even," he whispers to himself, the smile not leaving his face. Hongbin turns to look at him at this time, while Jaehwan and Wonshik are still engrossed in their discussion, which seems to be an argument on something useless.

"What did you say?" Hongbin asks, and Sanghyuk shakes his head.

"Nothing, hyung."

Hongbin blinks, before he shrugs and scooches a little back. "Well then get over here. They need your input on this."

"Yeah, Hyuk-ah, what do you think? Do you eat your rice, kimchi, and seaweed separately or do you put them together?"

Sanghyuk shares a judging glance with Hongbin before he chooses to answer.

The six of them remain in the basement for a while, underneath the dark glow of the moonlight.

**Author's Note:**

> Definitely doesn't match the current VIXX concept but thanks for giving a try :/


End file.
